Christmas in the Hollow
by brittaden
Summary: It's almost Christmas time in Stars Hollow and Lorelai has an adorable six year old daughter, Rory, who loves Stars Hollow just as much as her mother. A stray snowball leads to a chance meeting with someone who has been missing from their lives. Gilmore Girls AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! It's been a while since I could give you a piece of a story I'm working on but I give you one here. I've managed a few M-rated oneshots recently but being able to upload a chapter of a story is literally a different story. Ha. Anyway I present to you here a little Christmas AU set when Rory is six years old and Lorelai is beginning to feel at home in Stars Hollow. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.**

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Lorelai adjusted the shopping bags in her hand, wedging them into the crook of her arm, while she assisted her six-year old in opening the glass door. Out on the snow-covered sidewalk, said six-year old produced a Hello Kitty notepad and pencil from the pocket of her winter coat and flipped through the pages until she found the one she wanted.

Lorelai held onto the hood of her daughter's coat that was beginning to get too small for her while she maneuvered her mini-me down the sidewalk. "How's that list coming Rory?"

"We're almost done," she announced proudly, stuffing the notepad back into her pocket. "Except…"

"Except for what?"

A tiny sigh escaped Rory's lips. "Well…I didn't get you anything."

Lorelai stopped in her tracks and looked down at her daughter to find her staring at her shoes. She knelt down beside her and cupped her cherubic face in her hands until those matching blue eyes looked back at her.

She spoke softly. "You know you don't have to get me anything sweets."

"But it's almost Christmas," Rory declared stubbornly. "And you get presents at Christmas. And you love presents!"

She couldn't help the chuckle that sounded at her daughter's words. "Well I do love presents. But you know what my favorite present is?"

Rory shook her head.

"You." Lorelai replied with a tiny boop to Rory's nose, earning her a delighted smile. "You are my favorite. I don't care about the presents, I just want to spend Christmas with you." She deposited the shopping bags on the ground and took Rory in her arms. "I don't want you to worry about getting me anything, okay?"

She buried her head in her mother's shoulder. "Okay."

"Okay?" Lorelai asked again, giving her daughter a tighter squeeze.

Rory giggled and lifted her head up. "Okay."

"Good." She held her daughter at arm's length. "Besides Mia asked me what I thought about her taking you on a little shopping excursion for a few more Christmas gifts and she hinted around that I might get a present."

Rory brightened up at the sound of those plans. She really wanted to get her mother a present for Christmas. "Excursion?" She attempted to repeat the unfamiliar word.

"It's like a trip, a little shopping trip," Lorelai answered.

"Like today!"

Lorelai smiled. "Exactly, like today."

"I can't wait," Rory said, her voice bursting with happiness. Hurriedly, she shoved her hand in her pocket again until she produced the notepad and pencil. "How do you spell that word? Excur…." She faltered on the new word. "The word you just said."

Lorelai straightened back up, taking her shopping bags in her arms once again and using a finger to point in the general direction of the twinkly light covered gazebo. "How about we have our little spelling lesson over there?"

Rory agreed with a nod of her head, stuffing her notepad and pencil back into her pocket before taking her mother's hand and crossing the street. Once free from the dangers of traffic, she dropped her mother's hand and skipped ahead, kicking up some of the snow that had fallen much earlier that morning. She beat her mother to the gazebo and already had pencil poised to paper when Lorelai set their purchases down and took a seat on the bench.

With a tap of her hand on the wood, Lorelai encouraged Rory to sit down next to her for their little spelling lesson. Once excursion was spelt and scribbled down onto a clean sheet of paper, a few more words popped up in her precocious daughter's brain and joined the new word down on the page. Watching Rory carefully write down the words she spelled out, Lorelai's smile was full of love and admiration for her daughter's penchant for learning.

When Rory flipped back to her list of people that she wanted to buy presents for, Lorelai pulled one of the shopping bags into her lap and took a peek inside.

"Alright for Sookie we have some oven mitts."

Rory interrupted, "With cats on them!"

She laughed. "Yes, with cats on them." She made a mental note to maybe buy her friend something else other than the kitschy oven mitts Rory swore that Sookie would love, if her budget allowed for it.

That shopping bag was replaced with another then another and then one more as they went over their purchases from the day for everyone they wanted to buy for, from Sookie to Mia to Christopher, who Lorelai wasn't sure would even appear for Christmas, to her parents that would pretend to love whatever they received once she informed them that Rory had picked out their gifts. Of course, she still had to buy for Rory and she already knew that at least one of the presents would be a new coat. Not only was her old one getting small but there was a hole wearing in the elbow that she had yet to patch up.

The shopping bags gathered again by their feet, Rory snuggled up to her mother's side while they watched the townspeople going about their daily lives. Some exited shops with their arms laden down with shopping bags while others walked around the square taking in the snowfall and the lights that decorated the small town. Across the way, Christmas decorations were being hauled off a truck and handed off to those who were set to decorate the town square more than it had already been done.

She had just recently began bringing Rory into town more. Of course, she made trips into town before this but they were usually for quick trips for necessary items and now to take Rory to school but she had never really taken the time to explore the town until recently.

Watching as the snow settle on the town that was the very picture of figurines in a snow-globe, she had never felt more at home. Mia had taken them in and had been there for her ever since, giving her a chance that she desperately needed. For that reason, she would be eternally grateful that she happened on Stars Hollow a little over five years ago now.

She was broken out of her reverie by her daughter's voice.

"Can we Mom?"

"I'm sorry sweets, I didn't hear that," Lorelai apologized. "Can we what?"

"The Christmas parade," Rory answered. "Can we go? Mia told me about it."

"I think we can do that." She nudged Rory with her shoulder. "But you know what we can do right now that's going to be just as fun as the Christmas parade?"

Rory perked up. "What?"

"Snowball fight."

No more words were needed as Rory popped up from the bench and bounded down the steps of the gazebo, darting through the snow until she dropped to her knees and began grabbing and forming clumps of snow. Lorelai was right behind her, ducking behind the gazebo and forming her own snowballs. Mere seconds after she declared a snowball fight, Lorelai felt an icy blast on her back that could only be from a snowball. It was instantly followed by a giggle then a squeal as she turned to chase her daughter with her own snowball in hand.

"I'm gonna get you," Lorelai called out as she chased her daughter around the gazebo.

"No, you're not." Rory's point was somewhat proven when a snowball landed at her feet instead of hitting her. "Told you," she taunted, emphasized by her sticking out her tongue.

Lorelai followed suit. "I was just being nice but it's on now."

Rory took off again, laughing all the way as she put some distance between her mother and herself before she plopped herself down in the snow and began to form her own little arsenal of snowballs. An unspoken truce was initiated between the mother and daughter while they each took residence on opposite sides of the gazebo preparing for their snowball showdown. While Rory packed her handfuls of snow into the roundest shape she could manage, Lorelai watched her daughter through the slats of wood of the gazebo. She smiled over the excitement that was etched onto Rory's face.

Like before, Rory launched the first snowball.

Soon after snowballs flew by in a flurry from both parties, most of them landing back on the ground and never making contact with the person it was intended for. They stayed close by the gazebo, using it to their advantage to duck behind as they launched snowballs at one another. It wasn't long before they both started to shiver from the few snowballs that did manage to hit them and soak through the layers of their winter clothing.

"One last snowball," Lorelai observed. It was conveniently located on the ground, equidistant to the mother and daughter. "Whoever gets this one wins."

There was no score being kept, they were just having fun, but the idea of there being declared a winner excited Rory. Lorelai didn't make a move until the snowball was already in Rory's hand and she was prepared to throw it in her direction. Rory drew her arm back and let the snowball fly, accidentally sending it soaring over her mother's head.

Lorelai followed the snowball with her eyes and tried to call out a warning to an unsuspecting victim but just as the words formed on her lips, it was too late. She cringed as the carefully packed ball of snow hit the man square in the face. Behind her, she heard Rory gasp at the exact time of the collision of snow to the face of the man wearing a backwards baseball cap. Since a warning was too late, an apology burst forth.

"Sorry," she called across the square. "You would think with all the signs up, there would be one about kamikaze snowballs on the loose."

A deep voice called back after her apology.

"You shouldn't even be doing this here!"

"Excuse me?" Lorelai steeled herself when he began marching in her direction. "You want to repeat yourself?"

"You heard me," he replied, a biting edge to his voice. "This isn't a playground."

Lorelai scoffed. "It was an accident, there's no reason for the attitude."

His voice boomed in the square. "You hit me in the face!"

"On accident!" Lorelai defended not only herself but her child who had now sidled up to her and wrapped her arm around her leg while burying her face into her coat. "We were just playing."

"This isn't a playground!"

"And you sound like a broken record."

He shook his head. "You were being careless."

Lorelai planted her feet firmly in the snow. Her hand rested on top of Rory's head, trying to provide some comfort to her. "Look, I was just trying to have a little snowball fight with my daughter. Both of our aims are terrible, a snowball escaped, we didn't mean to hit you."

He guffawed bitterly. "Maybe you should watch your kid a little better next time."

"What the hell?" Lorelai cursed then directed her next sentence at Rory. "Remember you don't repeat that word."

Lorelai ruffled her daughter's hair with her hands when she felt a small nod of her head against her coat. She turned her attention back to the man in front of her, the one with piercing blue eyes and dressed in an army green jacket.

"Don't you dare and try to tell me how to parent," she bit back angrily. "We were playing, it was an accident, get over it."

The next words out of his mouth were mumbled and hushed, almost drowned out by the fact that he chose that moment to turn and march back in the direction that he came from. But she caught a few choice words that only fueled her anger towards him. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, swallowing down the emotions raging through her, and bent down to take her daughter in her arms.

"Don't worry about that at all, it was an accident," Lorelai whispered into her daughter's hair when she heard her start to sniffle. "Don't get upset over it, okay?"

Rory leaned into her mother. "Okay."

Lorelai pulled back just enough to press her forehead against her daughter's. "How does hot chocolate sound right now?"

"From Fran's?" Rory asked.

"Of course," she grinned. "Where else would we go?"

Lorelai pressed a kiss to Rory's forehead then used her thumb to wipe away some of her glitter lip-gloss that had been left behind. On their walk back to the gazebo to gather their morning purchases, Rory offered out her hand to her mother. They were both silent as they headed across the town square and over to the bakery. Lorelai knew the outburst had rattled her daughter. She was still young, shy around newer people, and definitely didn't take well to someone overreacting to a simple stray snowball. Of course being nailed in the face with a snowball wasn't the most pleasant of experiences but it didn't require childish outbursts and pot shots at her parenting skills.

Inside of Weston's, or Fran's as Rory called it after the sweet lady that was always there, Lorelai settled her daughter down at a table near a window and waltzed up the counter.

"Hey Fran," Lorelai greeted the older lady. "Rory and I need two hot chocolates."

"Coming right up," Fran piped back, repeating the other to another worker behind the counter who quickly started on the drinks. "Where is that little one of yours?"

"Over there by the window," Lorelai replied, turning to look at her before she leaned into the counter to talk with Fran. "We had a little snowball incident and I thought a little bit of hot chocolate would help soothe things."

"Everything okay?"

Lorelai gave a curt nod of her head. "Nothing a cup of your hot chocolate can't fix."

Fran smiled, watching the younger girl doodling on her notepad by the window. "Go ahead and sit down, we'll bring it out to you."

"Thank you."

Lorelai reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a couple of dollars to cover the price of the hot chocolate. But when she stretched out her hand and offered the money to Fran, the older lady placed her hand underneath Lorelai's and curled her fingers to close over the money.

Fran gave a shake of her head. "No charge, dear."

"No, Fran, I insist."

"And I'm insisting harder." Her focus went back to Rory who was concentrating hard on her notepad. "Sounds like she had a bad day, this one is on the house."

Lorelai thanked her again and slid the money back into her coat pocket. She joined her daughter at the table and slid the notepad her way just to see what was so important for her daughter. Her face brightened discovering that Rory was writing and rewriting the words from their mini spelling lesson earlier.

"With that study ethic, you're definitely getting into Harvard."

Rory beamed and did a little happy dance in her chair before setting her pencil down on the table and putting her head into her hands while she watched the snow fall to the ground outside.

Lorelai tapped on the table to gain her daughter's attention. "Are you alright? About earlier?"

She hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. "Yeah, I'm alright. But he wasn't a very nice man."

"No, he wasn't," Lorelai agreed. "But what happened was an accident, it's nothing for you to worry about. We were having fun and it sucked that he got hit in the face but it was an accident. Apparently, he doesn't know how to have any fun."

"Kind of like the Grinch," Rory mused.

She laughed at the idea. "And you know what, he was wearing green and the Grinch is green."

"He was definitely the Grinch."

"I'm not going to argue with you on that one, kid."

The natural lull in their conversation was livened up when Fran appeared by their table with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, kiddie size for Rory, and a plate with two iced sugar cookies. As Lorelai opened her mouth to say that she didn't order cookies, just the hot chocolate, it was as if Fran read her mind.

"On the house," she said, setting the plate down in the center of the table. "There's nothing better than hot chocolate and cookies on a cold day like today."

Rory reached for the candy-cane shaped cookie. "Thank you, Fran!"

"No problem Rory," Fran replied. With a ruffle of the girl's hair, Fran walked off and back behind the bakery counter.

Lorelai looked down at the plate of cookies to see that Rory had left her the Christmas tree shaped one. "Hey, what if I wanted the candy cane one?"

Crumbs spewed from Rory's mouth. "Too late."

Handing her daughter a napkin, Lorelai reached for the cookie left behind and took a small bite. As they sipped on their hot chocolate and munched on the delicious cookies, they watched out the window as the snow continued to fall. Stories were traded and plans were made for not only the Christmas parade but the much talked about Winter Festival. And their encounter with the Grinch of Stars Hollow was pushed to the back of their minds.

At least for now.

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 **This isn't going to be some long epic of a tale but we do have a few chapters to stay with our girls and learn a little more about this Grinch who isn't really a Grinch at all.**

 **As always, feedback is appreciated. It keeps me going!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And another one! I'm going to aim for weekly update.**

 **Thank you for all the feedback and love left on the last chapter, I really do appreciate all of it!**

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"Sookie?" Lorelai called out, poking her head into the kitchen at the inn and checking for any signs of her friend. "You here?"

"Right here!" Sookie popped out almost of out nowhere. She reached through the crack in the door and pulled Lorelai by the hand and into the kitchen. "He just went out for a smoke break so we have a few minutes."

Moving in tandem of a well-practiced routine, two stools were pushed up to the kitchen counter, two cups were pulled out and filled with coffee, and leftover breakfast pastries were dealt out onto plates. The 'he' they were referring to was the head chef at the inn, Alejandro, who had no respect for any one other than kitchen staff or Mia in his kitchen. And he barely tolerated Mia in there. Of course, in her years at the Independence Inn, Lorelai had found her way around his schedule for time with Sookie and to gather whatever leftovers Mia would let her keep and take back to their little home.

"He was in a mood this morning," Sookie complained, sitting down on the stool next to Lorelai and pulling one of the pastries towards her. "I made a suggestion for a new omelet he could serve and he nearly chopped my head off."

"He's always in a mood," Lorelai replied. "He's been in a mood since I got here. Once I came in here just to get Rory's sippy cup that I accidentally left behind and he went to Mia and told her to fire me."

"Jeez," Sookie groaned. "I don't see how Mia has put up with him for this long."

"He makes really great food, raved about food, food that gets talked about in magazines," she said while taking a bite out of one of the pastries. She talked around the bite in her mouth. "Plus, minus a few accidents, he's a different person around Mia."

"I just want to be able to make what I want to make instead of being bossed around. He's always 'chop this, stir that, no that's too much, I don't like cilantro, don't chop your hand off, back away from the stove, don't change my recipe, it's as old as me."

Lorelai laughed at Sookie's impression of the surly, bitter kill-joy of a chef. Her impression had been perfected over many of their bonding moments either here in the kitchen or out in the potting shed.

She squeezed her friend's hand, "Don't worry Sookie. One day, you and I will have a place of our own, an inn maybe, and you can create whatever menu you want. And I won't have to clean any more rooms. I don't even want to talk about what I found in room 2 today."

Sookie gave an involuntary shutter, numerous talks with Lorelai over what people left behind in rooms, had cautioned her against asking. "I can't wait for that. Then my food can be raved about in magazines."

"And it definitely will be."

"I can't wait."

Lorelai smiled. "Me either." She had just lifted her coffee cup to her lips when the incident from the day before popped into her mind and caused her to spill coffee down onto the countertop. "I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you what happened yesterday."

With Sookie's prompting, Lorelai launched into what she was now calling The Snowball Heard Around the World. After their hot chocolate and cookies at Weston's, the incident was almost wiped from Rory's memory. Only being brought up again when they decided their nightly reading would be that of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Lorelai was happy that the incident didn't really seem to bother Rory anymore, since she was now saying their Grinch just needed a little Christmas spirit like The Grinch in the book. But she was still upset over the whole issue. He had no right to yell at her and her kid in public.

"Honestly, who does that?" Lorelai finished her story. "Rory was with me, she's only six, it was an accident, and he was acting like it was the end of the world."

"And you have no idea who it was?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "I went through the short list of people I know in this town and it wasn't any of them."

"It sounds like something Taylor would do," Sookie pointed out. "But you know Taylor so you would've known if it was him."

"It wasn't Taylor," Lorelai confirmed. "This guy was younger."

"Definitely wasn't Kirk, he would still be crying. Wait, have you met Kirk?"

"A few times, unfortunately."

Before they could delve into the many residents that Lorelai had yet to meet on her few adventures into town, the unmistakable sounds of Alejandro coming in from his smoke break sent the two girls scurrying around the kitchen to hide the evidence of their morning break for chit-chat and coffee. As the kitchen door swung shut behind her, Lorelai popped the last bite of pastry into her mouth and busied herself with pretending to dust off a shelf just long enough to hide any sense that she had just been in the kitchen. When the coast was clear, she turned on her heel and headed towards the staircase, back towards the rooms that still needed to be cleaned.

Mia's voice stopped her before she could climb the stairs.

"Lorelai, come here for just a second."

With an excuse already on her tongue, Lorelai turned around. "No matter what he said, the kitchen is the same as he left it before he took his break. Sookie and I were just having coffee."

Mia dismissed the excuse with a wave of her hand. "Oh I'm not worried about him, he's a sourpuss. I wanted you to meet someone." She turned to the man on her right. "Lorelai, this is Lucas. Lucas, this is Lorelai."

"Luke," he corrected. "It's Luke."

Speak of the Devil. The Grinch finally had a name.

Lorelai fixed a smile on her face and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."

She could see him trying to place her with his eyes as he reached for his hand. Trying to figure out how he knew her and where her knew her from. Her smile twisted itself into a smirk. After all, it wasn't like she could tell him to go to Hell in front of her boss.

"Nice to meet you too," he finally said before he released her hand.

Mia spoke again, "Lucas is here to fix that leak in Room 7, have you cleaned that one yet?"

"It was next on my list, I was just heading there now," Lorelai answered.

"Good," Mia replied with a smile. "Then you wouldn't mind showing Lucas here the problem. I have some business to attend to in my office and it would be a big help if you would show him what's wrong."

"No problem," Lorelai said a little too cheerfully.

"Wonderful dear." Mia turned her attention back to Luke. "Now you come see me before you leave because I'll have a little something for you."

"Mia, I've told you before that you don't have to pay me, I don't mind helping out," Luke said.

"Nonsense, I'm taking you away from your business to fix a problem for me, it's the least I could do."

Lorelai watched the exchange silently. Luke tried once again to refuse any money but Mia insisted that would see him after he was finished. Mia excused herself with a thank you to Lorelai and a hug to Luke. Once they were alone and Mia had shut herself in her office, the smirk disappeared from Lorelai's face.

"Room 7 is this way, follow me Lucas," she instructed.

"It's Luke," he said, taking a moment to pick up his toolbox before following her across the room and up the staircase. "Only Mia calls me Lucas."

She continued down the hallway. "Whatever you say Lucas."

"It's Luke."

She swiped the room key from her cart that was parked in the hallway. "I heard you the first time."

After unlocking the door, Lorelai led him inside and pointed him towards the bathroom.

"The leak is in there, sink is going drip-drip when it shouldn't be going drip-drip and Mia needs it checked out. She's also worried that the pipes are leaking underneath so you need to check that you too." She turned back to him. "Any questions?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Good."

Lorelai crossed the room, putting as much distance as she could manage between herself and the bathroom. She watched him in the mirror on the wall above the dresser and he turned the sink on and off a few times before kneeling down and checking underneath the sink. She watched him for a few minutes more as he began to work before she moved to the bed and stripped it of the old sheets.

With the mattress bare, she ran her hands underneath making sure nothing was tucked in before making a fabric ball of bed sheets and pillowcases. After exchanging the old sheets for fresh ones, Lorelai stopped to watch him again. He was silent while he worked, focused on fixing the sink for Mia. He hadn't once stopped to look back at her like she looked at him. Not that she expected him to but she was curious. He made no indication that he remembered her.

She forged on, making up the new bed with ease. A motion that she didn't even need to think about anymore, not after doing this almost every day since she arrived in Stars Hollow.

Curiosity got the better of her.

She moved to stand in the doorway to the bathroom. "Do you remember me?"

He set his wrench down beside the sink and turned to face her. "I'm not sure."

"I would be happy to remind you," Lorelai replied. "Just give me a minute to go find a little bit of snow and throw it in your face."

The corner of her lips turned up into a smirk when the realization washed over him.

"Oh, about that…"

She cut him off before he had a chance to think up a flimsy excuse. "You're an ass."

"I was having a bad day."

"You were having a bad day?" Lorelai parroted back. "That's your excuse for yelling at me and my kid?"

Luke watched her, her arms crossed over her chest and lips puckered into a pout. She looked young, hard to believe she had a kid. He hadn't meant to yell like he did, that kind of yelling was usually reserved for Taylor. And true, he wasn't a fan of kids but he didn't make it a habit to go around yelling at them. But after a morning of dealing with Taylor and the mess his sister was trying to drag him into, he just went off.

"I didn't see your kid at first," Luke admitted.

"But you still continued to yell when you did notice her?" Lorelai questioned, her brow arched.

"I wasn't yelling at her," Luke argued.

"But you did yell at me in front of her after I had already apologized for what was an innocent mistake," she replied.

He leaned back against the bathroom counter. "Are you looking for an apology?"

"Any decent person wouldn't have to ask, they would just apologize." She backtracked. "Actually any decent person wouldn't yell at someone and her kid, they would do what everyone else does and keep it to themselves."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you and your daughter," Luke apologized. He gestured back to the sink. "Can I get back to work now?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Unbelievable."

"What?" Luke asked. "I apologized for yelling at you for the snowball you threw in my face."

"On accident." Lorelai had to stop herself from raising her voice. "It wasn't maliciously done. I'm saving that one for Taylor."

"Well he deserves it."

She fought the smile that threatened her face. He wouldn't get to her just because they both agreed Taylor deserved a snow ball to the face. "You're still not off the hook."

He blew out a breath. "You're exhausting."

"Yeah, well so are you."

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized, his voice brimming with a sincerity that wasn't there before. "I'm sorry if I upset your kid."

"She thinks you're the Grinch but she's okay."

The corner of his lip lifted up into the beginning of what she swore was going to be a smile. "The Grinch?"

"She's six," Lorelai said. "I think you're an ass."

"Right." He picked back up his tools from earlier. "Can I get back to my work now?"

"Don't let me stop you."

She turned and left the bathroom, popping out in the hallway to grab her cleaning supplies so she could work on the rest of the room while he was still working in the bathroom. Something still gnawed on her mind. Before she could stop herself, she found herself being drawn back to the bathroom.

"One more thing," she said as she entered.

Luke sighed. "Here we go."

"I'm a good mother," Lorelai stated proudly. "We may not have a whole lot but I work hard to make sure that she has everything that she needs and that she is well taken care of. You don't get to decide what kind of mother I am."

This time when she turned away and left him alone once again, a smile crossed her face. She was still angry with him but it felt great to get it out. And now he had a name, something to discuss with Sookie when she could sneak into the kitchen again.

As she cleaned, her eyes flicked up to the mirror in the room and found a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. For a split second, they locked eyes before she averted her gaze and began to hum about the Grinch and the countless ways that he was terrible.

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai moved about the potting shed and hummed to herself. She was putting up a few hand-me-down decorations around their small space. In the corner sat a Christmas tree that rivaled that of Charlie Brown's but she and Rory had decorated with all of their creativity and handmade ornaments. It looked perfect.

Happy with her decorations for now, Lorelai sat down on the floor next to Rory. "Whatcha up to sweets?"

"Making some Christmas cards," Rory answered. She offered her mother a marker. "Want to help?

She smiled, grabbing the marker and a piece of construction paper. "Gladly. Now who are we making these for?"

Rory stretched her little arm and grabbed a piece of paper with her writing on it. "This is my list."

"Of course there's a list," Lorelai said as she took the paper in her hands and read over the names. She wasn't a bit surprised with everyone Rory had listed. The only real surprise came when she saw 'The Grinch' scribbled at the bottom of the list. "So this is everyone you want to make cards for?"

"Yep!" Rory grinned gleefully. "But when I make yours, you can't be with me, okay?"

"Okay," Lorelai agreed. "So am I making the cards too or am I just your helper?"

Rory thought about it for a minute. "You're my helper." She pushed an almost completed card towards her mother. "I think it needs some sparkles."

"And I think we have some."

Leaving Rory on the floor, Lorelai crossed the room and reached for the shoe-box underneath their bed where miscellaneous crafting and school supplies were hidden away. She grabbed the red glitter and a glue stick before she joined her daughter back on the floor. While Rory worked quietly and diligently, Lorelai was soon lost in her own little world, her mind occupied with thoughts of earlier and the guy that she definitely didn't need to be thinking about.

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 **Christmas parade is coming up!**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer in first chapter.**

 **Back with another chapter. Hope you enjoy, thanks for all the love and support so far!**

* * *

Lorelai paced out in front of the diner, deciding whether or not she wanted to go in just yet. Today, as promised, Mia had taken Rory on her little shopping excursion while she worked. Their plan was to meet at the diner before the parade for dinner and some hot chocolate or coffee to take with them but they weren't here yet and she didn't want to go in by herself.

Through Mia, Lorelai found out a little more about Luke after their last encounter. She knew that he had lived in Stars Hollow all his life, he owned the diner in town, and even that he lived in a small apartment above the very diner that he owned. Mia offered up all of this willingly after he left, along with the fact that was a good man who was carving out a great life for himself through his business. Even if he was a bit of a hermit. And the fact that even though Mia had paid him for his work, the money had found it's way back into the pocket of her coat that hung on the coat rack in the lobby.

She had a long day at work and just wanted to spend the night with her daughter watching the parade and forgetting about the amazingly gross things that people would leave behind in their rooms. She scrubbed herself clean the moment she was finished with her work for the day. The last thing she wanted to do was be around him again. He already apologized and she kind of accepted it but she wasn't in the mood. But Mia had sung praises of the diner and the diner owner and she agreed to dinner, so there was no backing out.

At the risk of looking at a crazy person stalking outside the diner, she finally pushed open the door and walked in. The bells above the door announced her arrival and caught the attention of the flannel-clad man behind the counter. She briefly wondered if he ever wore anything different before their eyes locked.

"Anywhere?" she asked.

Her answer came in the nod of his head and she decided to settle down at a table by the window. She alternated between looking out the window waiting for Mia and Rory to show up and looking over the menu that was already on the table.

"You finally decided to come in?"

She looked up at the sound of his voice. "You were watching me?"

"Business is slow," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was bored."

"So, you were watching me."

"You were in my line of vision, don't flatter yourself."

"This is you admitting you were watching me."

Luke blew out a heavy breath. "Coffee?"

She grinned. "The biggest cup you have."

He gave a curt nod of his head. "Anything else?"

"Just the coffee for now, I'm waiting on someone."

Another nod of his head and left her table and walked back behind the counter. She watched him as he went but as soon as he turned around with a coffee cup and the coffee pot in his hand, she turned away like she wasn't watching him. Mere seconds later, a mug was placed in front of her and filled with coffee.

"Cream or sugar?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm good."

He acknowledged her answer with a barely noticeable nod of his head and lingered by the table. "So your daughter's not with you tonight?"

Her eyes narrowed, studying him. He wasn't one for making conversation, at least according to Mia. Her answer was a little hesitant. "She's the someone I'm meeting."

"Oh."

"Yeah, you know six years old and their need for freedom. I kicked her out of the house this morning and just let her run wild. Just told her to make sure she's free to join me for dinner."

"Right."

She was confused on why he was still there when there were other people in the diner that she was sure needed him more than she did. "So...is there something else you needed?"

"Nope."

She left out a half-laugh, bore out of confusion and a little amusement, as he turned away from her again and walked around the diner refilling coffee for those who needed it. Wrapping her hands around the mug, she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. Okay, even if she wasn't that fond of the diner man, the coffee was definitely worth a trip back. Or a few trips, as long as it fit her budget.

She caught him watching her but couldn't take time to comprehend any deeper meaning because the bells above door rang out and her attention was focused on the two that entered right after. Her face lit up when Rory came skipping towards her and she was out of her chair just in time for Rory to launch herself into her arms.

"Hey babe," Lorelai greeted cheerfully and with a kiss to her daughter's head. "How was your day with Mia?"

"Great!" Rory answered, climbing in the chair that her mother pulled out for her. "We bought you a present."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?" Lorelai prodded.

"No, that's cheating!"

She laughed lightly and settled back into her chair. Looking across their table at Mia, she said, "Thank you again for taking her today."

"Oh, it was nothing," Mia dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I love spending time with my favorite girl."

To be funny, Lorelai pretended to pout, especially since Rory seemed to be thrilled by the idea that she was the favorite. "I thought I was your favorite."

"Uh-uh," Rory interjected before Mia could say anything. She started to brag. "I'm the favorite, I'm cute."

Mia smiled at the interaction. "You're both my favorite girls."

Lorelai stuck at her tongue at Rory and was met with the same action from her daughter. "Ha-ha."

"You're silly Mom."

Rory's eyes widened when Luke approached the table once again, asking Mia if she would like coffee and then asking Rory what she would like to drink. She didn't answer but turned to her mom and whisper-yelled.

"Mom, it's the Grinch!"

She hadn't yet told Rory that Mia actually knew the Grinch pretty well and that she had met him once again but her daughter's astonishment that they were meeting him again was too cute and she was thrilled that it was happening this way. The looks on both Mia and Luke's face were also pretty thrilling.

"I know!" Lorelai said, matching Rory's astonishment. "And Mia know him."

She turned to Mia, whisper-yelling again. "You know the Grinch?"

Mia chuckled. "The Grinch?" She turned to Luke for an explanation. "Now Lucas, why do these girls think you're a Grinch?"

Luke side-stepped the explanation. "It's a long story."

"It's not that long," Lorelai said.

"Can I get anyone something to drink?" Luke asked, looking for a way out of this conversation.

"I'll take some coffee dear," Mia answered. She looked to Lorelai. "And I want the story for this whole Grinch thing."

"Happily." She turned to Rory. "Apple juice?"

Rory answered silently with a nod of her head and Lorelai relayed her answer to Luke. As soon as he was gone, Mia asked for the full story and both Lorelai and Rory were happy to explain. They paused their story when Luke came back with their beverages and took down their food orders, Mia assuring them that everything she's tried at the diner was great because Luke made great food. When he was gone again, Rory started the story back up. When their explanation was finished, a little more dramatic than the original because it was told through the eyes of a six-year old and Lorelai, Mia insisted that while Luke was grumpy, he was no Grinch.

Lorelai partially agreed with Mia, telling Rory that she met him again and he had apologized for yelling at them. Maybe he wasn't exactly a Grinch but he was a man who yelled at her and her kid and she still thought he was an ass. And handsome. She quickly shook that thought from her head because that wasn't a road they were going down at all.

Lorelai breezily shifted the conversation to Mia and Rory's day while they waited on their food. Rory was more than excited to chatter on about the shopping day with Mia. From the food court at the mall to visiting the bookstore to finally finding the perfect present from her mom, Rory didn't skip any details. Except for the one on what she and Mia had bought for her mother.

Rory's story lasted all throughout their meal with comments added in by Mia on how she just had to buy Rory a few treats for accompanying her shopping today. Those treats being a couple of books that Rory couldn't wait to read with Lorelai. Lorelai insisted that Mia did too much, because she did and she always did, but really she was grateful for Mia in ways that she could never even attempt to put into words.

As their meal drew to a close and Luke came to clean off their table and ask how they enjoyed their meal, Rory leaned over the table and whispered in her mother's ear. While Rory whispered, Lorelai subtly watched Luke then gave a nod of her head when her focus was back on her daughter.

"Check my purse," she whispered back to Rory.

Rory scrambled for her mother's purse that hung on the back of the chair. After a few minutes of digging, she pulled out what she had been looking for. Luke was no longer at their table but she spotted him behind the counter. With her mother's encouragement and her mother holding her hand and guiding her across the diner and up to the counter, she climbed up onto a stool.

He wasn't paying attention but Lorelai called out his name. "Lucas."

"It's Luke," he replied before turning around to face them.

"Yeah I know." Lorelai stood by her daughter's side and gestured to the card in Rory's outstretched hand. "She has something for you."

Luke glanced down at the card and then at Rory who was watching him expectantly. "You have something for me?"

"A Christmas card," Rory answered. She gave the card a little wave. "For you."

"Take the card," Lorelai prompted him.

He took the card and Rory finally smiled, her little shoulders slumping with relief. If Mia knew him and said he was a good person then he probably was a good person. She giggled as did her mother when he opened the card and glitter exploded from it, coating him thoroughly in green and red sparkles. The card had an abundance of glitter as well as a few drawings of stars and Christmas trees along with her own little Christmas greeting in which she still called him the Grinch.

"I made it myself," Rory said with pride.

"And you did an amazing job, right?" Lorelai asked, prompting Luke to speak up. The man needed his own set of cue cards apparently.

"You did," Luke confirmed to the young girl. "This is great. Thank you."

Rory beamed. "You're welcome."

With her mother's help, she hurried off the stool and went back to their table and back to Mia.

Lorelai gave him a little smirk. "Nice sparkly pants."

"Are you done?"

"For now."

She made the move to walk away only to find that he was rounding the counter and following in her stride. She spoke over her shoulder.

"First you were watching me, now you're following me."

"Like I said before, don't flatter yourself. I'm going to talk to Mia."

Back at the table, Mia pulled out her wallet to pay but Luke insisted that this time was on the house. A naturally flowing, done many times, back and forth argument occurred because that was no way to run a business Mia insisted followed by Luke insisting that she could pay next time. It ended with Mia placing money down onto the table and firmly saying that it was in no way to find its way back to her own hand by any means. Luke obliged, there was no winning with Mia.

Taking everyone by surprise as they were putting on their coats and about to head out the door for the parade, Rory spoke to Luke again.

"Want to come to the parade with us?"

Luke hesitated. "Uh..."

Lorelai jumped in, "Rory, that's sweet of you to offer but Luke has the diner to run. I'm not sure if he can join us."

"Oh," Rory sighed. "Well if you can, I think it will be fun. Mia said it's fun."

"Maybe. I'll see."

Rory accepted that as a good enough answer and began tugging at her mother's hand to leave the diner because the parade was starting soon and she didn't want to miss a single minute. Lorelai let Rory drag her out of the diner and out onto the street where Mia suggested that the perfect spot to watch the procession was coincidentally right in front of the diner. Lorelai looked over her shoulder and back into the diner and watched as Luke stared briefly out the window before he went back behind the counter and began to wipe it down. Her daughter's excited squeals brought her out of her own head and back to the present.

Rory bounced up and down between her mother and Mia as the lights of the first parade float came into the view and people around them started to cheer and clap in the name of Christmas spirit. Lorelai joined in with them as did Mia when the first float drove by them and continued on down the street.

As the parade continued, Rory dove for candy that was thrown out and stuffed some of it into the pockets of her coat and the rest went into her mother's purse. She promised to share with her mother because they shared everything else but the ones in her coat pockets were all hers. Mia pointed out a few people to her girls as certain floats went by, giving tidbits of information about the town they lived in and how Lorelai should really get involved more with the town. Lorelai agreed, seeing as Rory was incredibly happy to be attending one of the town's events they had heard about before but had never really participated in. Plus, it seemed like this town knew exactly how to throw a festival. And from what she heard, they had plenty of them.

After a float passed with Kirk on it and he nearly fell off trying to toss out pieces of candy to the kids, Lorelai felt a presence by her side. She looked to her left, completely and utterly shocked to find Luke standing next to her.

"What an idiot," she heard him say under his breath when Kirk clung to the garland on the side of the float so he wouldn't fall off.

"You're here," Lorelai commented, her gaze on the parade and not on him.

His tone was nonchalant as if he had already planned on attending the parade which, based on the little bit she knew of him form Mia, seemed unlikely. "Business was slow."

"You sure do like to use that as an excuse."

"It's true," Luke replied. "Take a look for yourself."

She looked back at the diner once more before finally looking at him. "Okay, so your excuse is valid."

He looked back at her. "Are you always like this?"

"Like what?" She asked innocently.

That gave him his answer. "You are."

"Just be quiet and enjoy the parade."

"Back at you."

Lorelai restrained herself from rolling her eyes in annoyance and pulled her daughter close to her as the parade continued in front of them. After a few minutes, Rory finally noticed that they had another guest and she greeted him with a grin and called him Luke instead of the Grinch since she finally knew his name. The annoyance washed away and was replaced with glee as Rory kept saying she was so happy that they decided to attend the parade and how she wanted to do more stuff in the town and how excited she was for Christmas. Lorelai agreed on every point her daughter had and even eventually roped Luke into the conversation, reminding him to play nice in front of Rory because she was so close to not thinking of him as the Grinch anymore. She being Rory because she discreetly reminded him of what she thought of him and how it would take a lot more than attending a parade that Rory invited him to for her to not think of him as a complete ass. And, she thought, she was looking forward to finding out what more could possibly be.

* * *

 **As always, reviews are appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer in first chapter.**

 **I fooled myself into believing that I would have this story wrapped up before Christmas. Oh well. We can still enjoy the Christmas spirit a little longer. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"My girls! Come in, come in."

Lorelai grinned as Sookie greeted them cheerfully and ushered them out of the bitter cold and into the small and warm apartment. While Sookie helped Rory take off her coat and mittens, Lorelai placed their bags down beside the door and took off her own coat.

While Rory attempted to hang up her own coat on the coat rack, Lorelai turned to Sookie. "Thanks again for this."

"No problem," Sookie assured her. It was absolutely, positively, no problem. "You know that I love spending time with you two. It's a treat to have you over."

"Remember that when Rory is up at the crack of dawn and insists that you have to be up too," Lorelai attempted to whisper but failed. "She's an early bird."

"Early bird gets the worm!" Rory chimed in.

Lorelai gave her friend a look. "That's her thing now."

The look on Sookie's face faltered but she quickly covered it up with a smile. "It's just one night. And I have so many things planned and since she's out of school now, she has no bedtime. She has no bedtime, right?"

Lorelai nodded her head. "Correct. We'll let her stay up late tonight."

"Yay!" Sookie clapped her hands together then knelt down to Rory's level. "I thought tonight we could start by decorating some Christmas cookies, sound good to you, popcorn?"

"I love decorating cookies," Rory insisted. "We tried last year but Mom didn't know how to make cookies."

"Hey, don't sell me out, kid. At least we had frosting."

Rory giggled. "And that's the best part."

"Luckily, I do know how to make cookies," Sookie said. "And frosting."

"One of the many reasons we love you. Isn't that right, sweets?"

"Right! Can we decorate cookies now?"

Sookie laughed at the young girl's excitement. "Of course, we can pumpkin."

While Sookie led Rory through her apartment and to the kitchen, Lorelai grabbed the two overnight bags she had packed and carried them to the small living room. She deposited them by the sofa and kicked off her shoes. She curled her toes in the plush carpet and listened to the animated sounds from the kitchen as Sookie instructed Rory on exactly how to use the piping bags to decorate the cookies.

Earlier today, she and Rory got a rude wake-up call when they awoke to the freezing cold to discover that the heat had went out in their own little home. Mia had fixed up the potting shed to be a livable space for the two and over the past few years, she and Rory had made it a home. A home that now had no heat and until they could find someone to fix the problem, there was no way they could stay there. No number of blankets, coats, and borrowed space heaters did the trick to keep them warm.

Mia assured Lorelai that someone would be there tomorrow to fix the problem but that still left them homeless for the night. With the Inn booked up and with Mia's family in town for a couple of days for an early Christmas, Lorelai felt bad about asking her for even more help even though she was like a second mother to her. Then came Sookie to the rescue who suggested they stay over with her. She had a pull-out sofa, a pile of Christmas movies, and more importantly, she kept it toasty in her apartment.

Lorelai loved the idea because it gave them somewhere warm to stay for the night while easily breezing over worrying Rory any more than she was already worried. That girl had become more of a worry wart recently and Lorelai hoped that it was just a phase.

When she heard her daughter's voice calling out to her, saying that she needed to join them, Lorelai crossed the apartment and headed into the kitchen where Rory had already managed to to make a mess with the frosting.

"Look, I made a Christmas tree!" Rory declared proudly.

"It's beautiful, may have a culinary master on my hands," Lorelai bragged as she came up behind Rory and swiped her own cookie from the counter to decorate her own cookie.

Rory bit into her heavily decorated cookie. "It's yummy too!"

Sookie expertly decorated her own cookies. "I think she's eaten more than she's decorated with."

"She'll work herself into a sugar rush and crash later," Lorelai replied. It wouldn't be the first time. But it was the holidays and the unofficial time for sugar rushes and excitement.

While Sookie's decorating skills were precise and skilled and took more time that Lorelai thought necessary since it was just going to be eaten in a matter of minutes, her own decorating skills were similar to Rory's. Sloppily applied frosting and heavy on the sprinkles and small candies Sookie had brought out for the occasion.

It didn't take long for the decorated cookies to pile up and though Rory had already eaten one and an abundance of frosting for a little girl, she was starting to yawn. Lorelai suggested that it may be time to move to the movie part of the evening and Rory agreed as long as she could have a couple more cookies and maybe some hot chocolate. Sookie happily granted the girl's request as Lorelai moved behind them cleaning up the mess they made over the cookies despite Sookie telling her that she was a guest and didn't have to clean.

By the time Lorelai had the kitchen spotless, well as spotless as she could get it with all the tiny sprinkles littering the kitchen, Sookie and Rory had curled up on the sofa. She smiled at the sight of Rory leaning into Sookie as the animated movie played on TV. She noted, appropriately, that Rory had chosen to watch _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ and for a fleeting moment, the one they called Grinch stole into her mind. It was so fleeting that she didn't have time to register why he popped into her head and how he managed to pop into her head at random times over the past couple of days.

When Lorelai sat down on the worn sofa, Rory traded Sookie's shoulder for her mother's lap. Lorelai pulled a blanket over herself and her munchkin. Her hands ran through her daughter's hair and over her back as she coaxed the little girl to relax and enjoy the movie.

They were only halfway into their second movie of the night when Lorelai felt Rory's body sag against her and heard her daughter's breathing even out, indicating that she had fallen deep asleep. Though her leg was cramping, Lorelai didn't move as Rory slept against her until Sookie told Lorelai that she could lay Rory down on her bed until they could manage to fix up the pull-out sofa.

"Okay, but Rory and I aren't going to take over your bed," Lorelai said as she struggled to lift Rory up enough to carry her to the bedroom. "We're the guests, we'll take the sofa."

"Deal," Sookie agreed. "Now go lay that little one down and get back in here so we can talk."

Once Lorelai got Rory settled in Sookie's bed, she made her way back to the living room where Sookie was waiting for her holding two mugs and immediately offering one to her as she sat down. She peered into the mug before taking a little sip.

"Whoa."

Sookie giggled at the reaction. "I spiked the eggnog."

"I can tell," Lorelai replied as she once again curled up on the sofa and delighted in the spiked drink. "This is really good."

She smiled. "I thought you would enjoy it."

They settled into easy conversation, sipping on the spiked eggnog and exchanging stories that had yet to be exchanged. They hadn't had one of their secret meetings in the kitchen in over a week so there was plenty to talk about, mainly gossiping about some of the people they worked with and the numerous guests that stayed at the inn. Both were always entertaining topics. Eventually, the conversation drifted towards the townspeople and the goings-on that Lorelai usually knew nothing about since she and Rory mainly stayed around the inn.

"So," Lorelai began to probe when a natural lull fell in their conversation. "Do you know Luke?"

Sookie nodded her head. "Yeah, I know Luke. It's a small town."

"Right, so everyone knows everyone," Lorelai concluded.

"Why do you ask?"

She gave a shrug of her shoulders. "No real reason. Just wondering. I met him recently, just wondering what you knew about him."

"He owns the diner, he's a few years older than us, he's pretty much a hermit," Sookie listed off little facts. "Miss Patty and Babette drool over him in the diner almost every time they go in there. He's grumpy but not actually grumpy."

"Oh."

Lorelai wanted to delve further, learn a little more, but there wasn't a real way to do that without rousing suspicion. Lorelai had discreetly brought him up once before, letting Sookie know that he was the one that yelled at her and Rory that day but at the time she hadn't referred to him by name. Just that she had talked with him again.

"He's not terrible to look at."

Lorelai let the words fall from her mouth. Maybe it was the eggnog talking. She had already admitted to herself that she thought he was good-looking, definitely hot and she could see why Miss Patty and Babette found him attractive, but this was the first time telling anyone else.

"Not at all," Sookie agreed. "And I saw him at the lake one time, he definitely keeps a lot hidden underneath the flannel."

Lorelai couldn't help the blush on her cheeks at the mental image Sookie's words had conjured up. Sookie didn't miss it either. Lorelai could practically see the gears turning in Sookie's head as she connected the snippets of their conversation together. The leading questions and the blush that still tinged her cheeks that she was doing her best to will away before Sookie could say anything.

"You have a crush on him!" Sookie accused.

"No, I don't!" Lorelai argued. She gulped down the last of her eggnog as Sookie performed a song and dance from the comfort of the sofa all about how she had a crush. "Shhhh! Rory is asleep in the next room. And I never said I had a crush on him."

"Sorry," Sookie giggled. "You didn't have to say anything, it's all in the way you said it."

"I said it in no particular way. I just asked about him."

Sookie continued her own little song and dance but stayed quieter this time. "But it's in the way you said it, so, about Luke," she sung happily. "You want to know more about him because you have a crush!"

"I do not!"

"Okay," Sookie played along, "So why were you blushing when I mentioned what he hides underneath all that flannel?"

"You spiked the eggnog!"

"You only had one cup, the blush isn't from that."

Lorelai vehemently denied Sookie's claim. "I do not have a crush on him. Or anyone for that matter. He's just someone I met recently so naturally I wanted to know a little more about him. It's human nature."

Sookie's grin now rivaled that of the Cheshire Cat's. "You know what else is human nature?"

"Sookie!"

"I said nothing."

"It's what you implied."

"Like you implied that you have a crush."

Lorelai shook her head. "You're delusional. And I think you're the one that had too much eggnog."

"I'm fine," Sookie said happily. "And you have a crush."

Her arms were crossed over her chest when she stood in front of the sofa. "I'm ready to go to bed now."

"Maybe you should call Luke up."

Lorelai scrubbed her hands over her face. "Can you just help me make up the sofa for me and Rory? You said it pulls out, right?"

She cringed at the dirtiness of the line but somehow Sookie didn't pick up on it and dropped the whole Luke issue. Or so she thought. As they made up the pull-out sofa, Sookie brought up the crush topic once again, teasing Lorelai about Luke. This time, Lorelai didn't encourage her by denying the claims even though she was being out-right ridiculous. It would only serve to drag this out.

Sookie seemed to sense that maybe she had taken things a little too far and apologized to Lorelai when Lorelai stopped speaking to her and only focused on piling the blankets up on the bed. She still stood by her initial thoughts and that Lorelai was too blind to see right now. But she felt like she was right.

Later, after moving Rory from Sookie's bed to the pull-out sofa, and after Sookie had retreated to her own bedroom, Lorelai remained awake with Sookie's words echoing in her mind. Sookie was being ridiculous and taking things a step too far, jumping ahead of herself, which she had a tendency to do. The thought that she had a crush on him was just absurd.

Damn absurd.

She in no way had a crush on him.

* * *

The next morning, Sookie had the day off and offered to watch Rory for Lorelai while she headed into work. She was grateful for her friend's offer since she didn't like for Rory to be cooped up in the Inn with her all day while she worked. She knew Rory enjoyed the time because she could bounce between working on her reading or hanging around with Mia, but she also knew that both of those could grow a little stale after a few days.

However, before settling into work for the day, she had to head to their little potting shed of a home since she forgot to pack her work shoes. Color her surprised when she came to face-to-face with Luke as she tread over the snow-covered pathway leading to her home.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Obviously she had surprised him too because he asked the same question as his answer. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked you first."

He groaned. "Don't you find that act exhausting?"

She fought the smile that wanted to appear. Replaced it with a look of confusion. "What act?"

"It must take a lot to put up with you."

She breezed past him. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

He followed in her stride. It just happened that he needed to go her way. "It wasn't meant as one."

"Yes, but see," She briefly glanced at him over her shoulder as she walked. "It's all in the way you spin things. You say I'm a lot to put up with, I hear that I'm amazing and only a few can keep up."

"You're crazy too."

"Thank you."

When she came to a stop in front of the potting shed, so did he. She watched him cautiously and now noticed the faded toolbox in his gloved hand.

"You didn't track me down here to kill me, did you?"

"No," he answered. "That would take more planning."

"At least you have a plan," she retorted, still confused as to why he hadn't moved and why he looked like he was waiting expectantly. "Is there something you're looking for?"

He gestured with the hand that wasn't holding to the toolbox to the potting shed door. The door to her home. "I need to get in there. I'm waiting for you to move."

It became clear to her.

"Mia asked you to fix the heater in here."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I had to fix the heating unit a few years ago. Might be the same problem now."

"You probably need to go inside to fix the problem."

"Since the problem is on the inside then, yeah," Luke answered.

She hated that her breathing had turned shaky but she muttered out an 'okay' and reached for the keys in her pocket. On one hand she was happy that he was here to fix whatever was wrong but that meant he would know see where she lived. She wasn't ashamed of it. In fact, she was proud of herself and the home that she had made with Mia's help, but the thought of inviting him into where she and Rory lived, where everything personal in her life was stored, was a little unnerving.

She pushed the door open, her eyes immediately scanning for anything that she might now want him to see. Her hands scooped up a bra and pair of her panties just as he entered the small space. She shoved them into the pocket of her coat when he realized what was going on.

"I usually don't bring guys home this early on."

"You live here?" He questioned. "With your daughter?"

"Oh no, I live here and Rory lives outside. It's important for us to have our own space. She's independent."

"Huh."

"That was a joke," she clarified though she knew he didn't need it. "Mia lets us stay here. I'm sure you had to hear about it. When I moved in, there was a whole newspaper article about it. Talk about an invasion of privacy."

She was rambling. She was a great at rambling and babbling, she could go on and on. The babbling capabilities were infinite but, right now, the rambling and babbling wasn't totally in her control.

"I mean there was even a tiny blurry picture posted in the next paper that looked like it could be me and Rory or the Loch Ness Monster. Mia tried to shield me from it, insisting that this town was really nice, just a little overbearing at times. She's totally right though. I love it here."

"I don't read the newspaper much."

"They got a lot of facts wrong anyway."

Luke looked around the room. It was messy, lived in, he usually kept his place cleaner, but he had to admit it looked well taken care of.

"It shouldn't take me long to fix," Luke spoke up.

"Good, that's good," Lorelai replied.

"Should I go ahead or?" He gestured vaguely.

"Um, yeah, sure, go ahead," Lorelai insisted.

Her eyes darted around the room for her work shoes. She felt weird about leaving him in here when he now knew it was her home but she also felt weird about staying and watching him. The shoes were tucked under the right side of the bed which meant she had to sidestep by him to retrieve them. She only realized how close they now were when she stood back up and turned to face him. He was more than not terrible to look at. And they were standing so close.

Mia came in just a second later and she darted as far away from Luke as possible.

"Oh good Lorelai, you're here," Mia said gratefully. "I forgot I asked Luke to come by this early, I was just coming by to let him in."

"Got that handled," Lorelai said, coughing to cover the slight tremor that threatened her voice. "I was just about to head to the Inn."

"Go on ahead darling," Mia instructed. "Stacy called out sick today so I need you girls to work even harder than you already do."

"You can count on me."

"I know I can." Mia moved more into the room as Lorelai began to head out. "I'm going to stay behind with Luke. I need to talk to him about a few things."

Lorelai gave a quick nod of her head and headed out the door. She welcomed the cold, winter air on her skin. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind on why she felt overheated when her home felt like a tundra. There wasn't time for thoughts like that. And she would definitely not be sharing this with Sookie. She didn't need any more teasing.

* * *

 **This story will be wrapped up soon, it was only ever intended to be a few chapters.**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I offer my sincerest apologies in getting this chapter out to y'all so late. I know we're almost in March but Stars Hollow is still focused on Christmas. Life just got in the way of updating. Hope you're still here and reading!**

* * *

She was late.

Late as in if she didn't make it back to work in the next ten or so minutes, she would never hear the end of it from the other maids. They already had plenty of ammunition against her that fueled gossiping behind her back. Being late and not berated by Mia would be one more thing they could add to the list about how she was the boss' favorite. Not that Mia wouldn't reprimand her for being late, because even though she did take her in and give her a place to raise her baby in a time of need, Lorelai still worked for her and had to obey the same rules as everyone else. The blow was lessened though by the fact that she cleaned circles around every other maid there.

Lorelai was beginning to regret that she refused Mia's offer to use her car for her last-minute, lunch-break run into town. But she foolishly thought that she could run into town, deal with Kirk over the bike he was selling and make it back to the inn all in the span of thirty minutes without a car. How wrong she was. She did have to deal with Kirk after all. And he had insisted on showing her the features of the bike. Not that she cared, it was the average, child sized bike that was perfect for Rory and for her budget. A last-minute Christmas gift.

Now the wind was cutting through her coat and making her shiver as she tried to avoid the icy patches on the sidewalk. The regret really set in when she realized she had to be hunched almost all the way over to push the bike down the sidewalk.

Just as her foot slipped on a patch of ice and she had to catch herself from falling, she heard the rumble of a truck idling close-by followed by a voice calling out to her.

"Need a ride?"

Her head whipped around at the sound of a voice that was becoming familiar. "No, I've got it."

"Yeah, it sure looks that way."

She continued pushing the bike down the sidewalk. The unmistakable sound of the truck followed her. "I said I've got it," she called out without looking over at him.

"I'm just offering a ride. It's cold."

She scoffed. "Oh really, I hadn't noticed." The wind was beginning to sting against her legs. She had on a pair of tights with her maid uniform but they did nothing to protect against the cold, bitter air.

"I can put the bike in the back of my truck. You wouldn't have to push it."

The truck stopped at the same time she turned to face him. "I said I'm fine, I don't need a ride."

"Okay."

With that, the green truck accelerated and left her standing on the sidewalk. She called out to him before she realized she had even opened her mouth.

"Luke, wait!"

The red brake lights were her indication that he heard her. The way the truck idled in the street meant that she was going to have to meet him. As she approached, hunched over and pushing the bike, he got out from the driver's side and helped to hoist the bike into the back of his truck. She half-expected him to walk her around to the passenger side and open up the door for her, instead he walked back to his side and left her standing there.

"The inn?" He asked when she was settled into her seat.

"Yeah," she answered him with a nod of her head. "I only accepted your offer because I'm going to be late for work."

"Of course," Luke replied dryly. "Wouldn't willingly accept help."

"You don't know that. You don't know anything about me."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I don't."

She stared out the window, knowing the ride to the inn from here was only a few minutes. But, still, the quiet was weirdly unsettling, so she spoke again. "Why aren't you at the diner? It's lunchtime, thought it would be busy."

"Thought I'd drive around, pick up people off the street."

She turned to look at him now. "So that's how you meet girls. Just pick them up off the street."

"It worked on you."

She could feel her skin beginning to flush with the look he gave her before he focused on the road again. She was suddenly glad she had spent the better part of her lunch break out in the cold because it was her excuse should anyone ask why her cheeks were now tinged red. She looked out the window once more. They were almost there.

She was only slightly surprised when he gave her his real reasoning for not being at work.

"I ran out of some things and didn't want to deal with Taylor, so I was headed to the store."

She gave a nod of understanding. "Always a smart option."

"I thought so."

"So..." She said, just to avoid the quiet threatening to settle around them.

He copied her. "So."

"Any plans for Christmas?"

Safe and easy question. They didn't have to delve too deep for answers.

Luke gave a shake of his head, turning into the driveway for the inn. "Nah, not really." His answer was aloof but he moved on to asking about her. "What about you? Your daughter must be excited."

She smiled then. "She's only been talking my ear off for the past week about how she loves Christmas. And she's very diligent with her countdown calendar, crossing off a day every night before bed. There's been a few letters to Santa dropped off in the mailbox for the inn."

He had parked the truck but she didn't seem to notice as she continued talking about Rory. He watched how bright her smile grew when talking about her daughter and it caused the tiniest twitch in his lips when she mentioned that she got lucky with Rory because she wasn't as "gimme, gimme," as other kids. And how even though she was excited for her presents, as all kids were, she was equally excited to give away the rest of the presents she picked out for people.

Her words started to falter, turning into mumbles and eventually fading out all together when she realized that she was well into rambling mode and he was simply watching and listening.

"Sorry," She apologized quickly, with her hand already on the door handle. "It's a habit."

With a nod of his head in the general direction of the back of the truck, he asked. "Need any help with that?"

She hated to infringe on any more of his time, especially since he had already helped so much, but she couldn't lie to herself and say that his help wouldn't be a relief. "If you don't mind."

He shook his head. "I don't."

"Great!"

She hopped out of her side of the truck and met him at the back where he lifted the bike out and held it awkwardly in his hands instead of the pushing method she opted for.

"You want it in the potting shed?" He asked.

"I want it in my home, yes," Lorelai smoothly corrected him. Her tone was curt, a stark difference from the way she spoke in the truck. "You know the way. I'll follow."

She said follow but she soon fell into step with him as they started towards her home.

"I didn't mean anything by that."

She gave him a tight smile. "It's fine."

"You're mad," he pointed out.

"No, I'm not," Lorelai replied, looking everywhere but at him now. "It is a potting shed, or it was, but now it's mine and Rory's home. We love it."

"This is you not mad."

She ignored him and dug into the pocket of her coat until she produced a key. She quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside, gesturing with her arm that he was to follow her. Inside, she wordlessly pointed to a corner of the room he could stash the bike in until she could come up with a better hiding place.

"Here okay?"

"Yeah."

He blew a breath out in a huff. "I'm sorry."

"I said it's fine," Lorelai replied, walking over to him. She placed her hands on his back and began to push him towards the door, definitely not letting her hands roam ever so slightly to feel what Sookie mentioned he kept hidden underneath the flannel. "I have to get to work, don't have time for this."

"You don't have to push."

She let her hands fall from his shoulders and stood, leaning, in the doorway when he made his way outside and turned to face her. It wasn't a mansion or even a nice apartment but it's where she was raising Rory and that was enough for her.

"It's mine and Rory's home," she told him again. Refuge from her parent's world is more like it, she thought. "We don't need a whole lot of space. We like it tiny and cramped. Besides, you're one to talk. You live above your own diner in an office space."

The look on his face told her he was confused. "How'd you know that?"

She pushed herself away from the doorframe, locked the door, and moved past him. "I have my ways."

Lorelai was walking fast but he managed to catch up to her. He let it go that she knew facts about him because he would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't eavesdropped a few conversations about Lorelai and Rory that a couple of gossipy ladies loved to have in the diner.

"You know that's Kirk's bike, right?"

"Yeah," Lorelai answered. "I bought it from him, or Santa did, so it's Rory's now."

"No, I mean it was Kirk's bike when he was little," Luke replied.

That stopped her in her tracks. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "Not too many boys own a purple bike covered in flowers."

She scrunched up her face. "That's a little disturbing."

"No, that's Kirk," Luke replied.

"Oh my god," Lorelai said laughing. "This explains so much though."

He seemed amused too, laughing along with her, but as soon as it began, she ended it and hurried along the pathway back to the inn. She muttered something about how she should've taken the back way and snuck in but it was too late now seeing as they were just a couple of feet from the porch. He walked alongside her again, following her to the porch. She climbed onto the first step then turned to face him.

She brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Nervous habit. Right up there with rambling. "Thanks for your help today."

He shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. And it wasn't. "No problem."

"And, I guess, thanks for your help the other day too. Rory and I didn't freeze in our home," Lorelai added on. The heater was now working at full capacity, keeping it nice and toasty for them. "I also noticed the shower pressure is infinitely better than what it was before."

"I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Of course, you wouldn't."

She stood there for a little longer, a moment lingering between them that she was refusing to acknowledge. She ducked her head because one of them needed to look away first. When she lifted her head, he was still watching her with the very hint of a smile on his face. She smiled back in response to his before stumbling her way up the rest of the porch steps, yelling out thanks again and that she was late, before she shut herself away in the safety of the inn.

"I know, I'm late," Lorelai said as she rushed into the lobby of the inn and found Mia behind the front desk. "But Kirk was being Kirk and I didn't realize how much time it would take me. But I got a ride and I'm here and I'm so sorry for being late."

"I noticed," Mia replied with a knowing look.

"Not you too," Lorelai groaned.

"What, dear?"

"That's the same look Sookie gave me a few nights ago," Lorelai explained. "And there's nothing going on, he just gave me a ride."

Mia held her hands up in surrender. "I said nothing."

"Right." With her hands on her hips, she asked. "Room ten, right?"

Mia nodded her head. "Start there. Rory snuck up there a few minutes ago, said something about wanting to scare you when you came back."

"I'll do my best surprised/scared face."

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai lay back on the bed while Rory rummaged through her books looking for one that they could read together. She watched as Rory carefully sifted through the books, creating two different piles. One noticeably smaller than the other. After a few minutes of deliberation, her little mini-me jumped onto the bed with a book in her hand.

"Let's read this one Mom."

" _A Christmas Carol,"_ Lorelai read the title. "How appropriate."

Rory curled into her mother's side. "It is almost Christmas," she said excitedly.

Lorelai chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, it is. And I think someone is just a little excited for it."

"It's me!"

"Yes, it is, my sweet girl." She kissed the top of Rory's head. "Now get comfortable. Remember, no squirming around once we start."

"I know the rules," Rory played along.

Lorelai began to read from the page with Rory sounding out and reading everything she knew. As they read, Rory cuddled more and more into her mother until her head rested on her shoulder and she was almost laying across her. Lorelai just hugged her closer, her voice growing softer when she noticed Rory's eyelids starting to droop before fully surrendering to the sleep that washed over her.

She gently placed the book on the nightstand, careful not to disturb Rory. Though she tried to avoid it, her mind kept drifting back to earlier. There was definitely a moment, even if it was a minuscule one between her and Luke earlier. She couldn't deny that. The way she felt when he looked at her was something she hadn't felt in a while. A great feeling. An overwhelming feeling. She had made a fool of herself too, rambling and literally stumbling away when things started to get intense.

 _Crap,_ she thought as a realization washed over her.

Maybe she did like him after all.

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 **If my calculations are correct, one more chapter to go!**

 **I thought about extending this beyond where I plan to take it in the next chapter, which is one of the reasons it took so long to update, but since this story is centered around Christmas, it might not happen. I could just continue on with it but with a little separate story where this is already established. I love writing them before any of the actual show storyline comes into place.**

 **As always reviews are appreciated. They mean the world to me!**


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